Highs and Lows

My friends and I do a weekly email where we exchange our high, low, and looking forward to for the week. I truly look forward to it each week because it makes me slow down and reflect on life – and I get to hear all about what’s up with my girls. It’s so simple, and the best way for us to keep on top of what is going on with each other. I especially love the support they give when I share my lows – something I’m not always comfortable with doing. I force myself to dig deep and really share what moment was the hardest for me that week. I not only get some love back from my friends, but it forces me to review that moment and put it into context. I sit back and take a look at it from a bigger picture perspective and I always tag it with my positive spin. In turn, I get a chance to support my friends in their times of need. Even if it is just virtually, sometimes it’s all we have.

Here’s an example to paint you a picture:

Low: Ryan is gone to a conference for work and I miss him. But, he’ll be back soon and in the meantime it’s giving me some time alone.

A week later… High: Ryan is back!

See what I did there?

Supposedly, 80% of what we worry about never happens. (I’ll put aside the point that I think that number came from no scientific study). So, perhaps sharing our lows, making them positive and working through them with somebody is the hardest thing to really do? Make sure you’re doing that in some way. You’ll be glad you did.

And of course, who doesn’t love sharing their high-points of the week?! Or, what we are looking forward to. Here is my blog-friendly version for the week. While I get the irony, I don’t feel comfortable sharing my lowest of weekly lows to, well, the world. That’s what my friends are for. So you’ll have to settle for this:

High: My peony plant, which I planted two years ago, is sprouting! I’m so excited!

Low: It’s still too cold to really get down and dirty with my garden. I’ve been literally dreaming about

all of the flowers I will plant.

Looking forward to: Ryan and I have tickets to David Sedaris on April 17. He will be doing readings from his new book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. Should be a hoot...

I won’t be doing this each week, I just wanted to share this story. Perhaps you might want to do the same? SO how about it – high, low, looking forward to?

Here are some more pictures… just because!

This fluffy wonder has made my week. Found this on the Twitter page @earth_pics.

Ryan and I dyed eggs for Easter… Breaking Bad style (points to who knows what that means):

Week in review: Courtesy of iPhone photo stream

I promised I would come back and blog. Promised. I refuse (at least for now) to ignore blogging just because nothing elaborate and exciting is happening. Although it probably is and I just don't want to tell you.

ANYWAY, I recently saw this slideshare on social media trends for 2013. A few things jumped out at me, but mainly the fact that more and more, pictures are telling our stories through Instagram and Pinterest. I have found more and more lately than when I'm telling a story, I often accompany it with a photo I took on my phone. Whether it's how my hair looked on my wedding day, what my grandmother's hometown in Germany looked like or what I found in the grocery store - I always find myself pausing in the middle of my oh-so-intrigueing tales to say, "Oh, oh, bare with me. I have a photo to show you," as I scroll through my iphone photos. I can ask my sister for advice on a purse, or get my husband's approval on dinner. I've found that I use it as the proof, the evidence, to my stories.

Ok, get to the point. Here's my week... month.. whatever in pictures. So exciting, I know.

Some things I knitted for a coworker who is expecting.

Our brief March Madness setup at home:

My beautiful passport photo that I freaked out about and showed to everyone.

Drawing/graffiti on the wall at the West End bar at Drake. Made me laugh.

I often use my phone to screen shot funny things I want to share. Like these hilarious pictures of when Tom Hanks found a kid passed-out-drunk on a table.

And a lovely comparison of what my husband sees from his balcony in California, where he is for a conference ...

... and what I see from my window at work today.

(sorry upside down - can't figure it out).

Did you enjoy that? Want me to keep doing it? I promise not to post super interesting things like this:

I hate it when this happens.. why haven't I deleted this?!?!

Anyway, what's up with you?

Dinosaurs wore green... sort of

Look at me actually keeping my promise and coming back here to blog.

What did you guys do this weekend for St. Patrick's day? I remember in college when we were so stoked to go out and find green beer. Today, not so much. And I won't even say I feel old for being lame. I just know what that green beer does to my system and ...  I'll pass.

Instead of drinking ourselves silly, my sisters, myself and my husband all went to the Science Center of Iowa to see Sue the dinosaur.

Here's a not so good picture that shows off her huge stature.

And here's a MUCH better one. This one really says, "RAWR" to me.

It was all pretty sweet and I recommend you go check her out before she leaves Iowa in May.

Also, Ryan and I have turned into tasmanian devils on our home today. We are in full-on spring cleaning mode and we LOVE IT! Old magazines, old clothes, old purses - GONE! We're filing all those loose papers and tossing anything we'll never touch. Feels great!

What do you do with things you're getting rid of? Does it all go straight to Goodwill? Do you straight up toss it all? Or, do you insist on selling every last dime's worth of it?

I am planning on doing a few things. First, my little sister gets her pick of anything she wants. Then, what I can I will donate to my animal shelters (blankets, toys, etc.), then Goodwill, THEN the trash (if it can't be recycled). Do you have any fun tips for what to do with life's leftovers?

Where have YOU been?!

Uuh, this is awkward. It's been nearly two years since my last blog post. I did give up on this blog, but had a random itch recently to give it some more love. I love reading (cough, stalking) everyone else's blogs and yearn to pour my own story all over you. I'll sum up my past two years in a few words and pictures. Then maybe in a few days we can get back to the grindstone and start exploring some obligatory nothingness.

Sound good? Enjoy.

We bought a house in 2011.

We got married in May, 2012. That one was pretty fun.

I had a pretty killer bridal shower party for said wedding.

I got a tattoo of said anniversary.

We went to Europe for our honeymoon.

I bought a bike. Rode the High Trestle Trail in the rain.
Combined with other factors, lost 30 pounds.

We hosted our fourth Thanksgiving dinner.
Our guests got to enjoy this.

I went to the Detroit Auto Show (partly for the Iowa BMW Club).

I also bought a new car, got a new job, landscaped the crap out of our yard, got new glasses for driving, I started judging high school speech competitions. I volunteer at two animal shelters, attend church every week, currently going through a Bible study. I'm planning an all-journalism reunion for April at Drake. We gained some new friends, lost some to the heavens and each day I get more happy with my life.

Whew.

I honestly think the Niki from 2 years ago would be very, very pleased. I cannot wait to see what will happen in the next two! I certainly have a lot up my sleeve, so buckle up!

Our Church

Please read this article by ex-Register columnist Ken Fuson, which is in DSM Magazine. Everyone is talking about it, and I hope you read it to see why.

I grew up in a church that taught me churches must have pews and closed communion. We must wear robes, have candles and boring, sad music. We have to turn away people that look weird or don't belong to the town. And, when they come in we all stare at them. We only let certain people in our club and you must never wear jeans or put the wrong flowers on the altar. (The best one was when a volunteer was turned away because they weren't a member).

Can you see why I turned away from Christianity - and religion? How could I be involved in such an elitist club that isn't open to those that are different. A club that doesn't love.

How ironic.

None of that is in the Bible. Nothing about how big or small a church should be. Nothing about how the music should be, what you should wear or who is allowed to worship. Funny, none of those things I taught had anything to do with God. Or love.

I'm proud to be a part of a church that has taught be what being a christian is truly about - God.

So, on most Sundays now (not just Christmas and Easter) I walk into a huge building holding the hand of the man I love, smiling ear to ear. I shake everyone's hand who will let me and almost belt out, "Good morning!" I smile at the passion each musician puts into their work. I clap loudly, I sing loudly and I listen intently. I cry at Pastor Mike's words. God moves me.

Praise God for a church that has touched thousands of lives of people who had either given up or never given Him a chance.

That's what a church should be about. Praise God.

We're going green!

Ryan insisted on that title. =]

We aren't talking about the laundry list of ways we're going green in our new home (which we move into May 13). Nor the things we did this earth day to show our home how much we love it. We're talking about dinner.

I may have mentioned earlier that sometimes we just want a dinner of fruits and vegetables. We had one of those nights recently as Ryan gave up red meat and pork for lent. I gave up snacking, so we made a meal of healthy snacks. After filling our plates, we realized everything was green.

Avacados, pears, asparagus, star fruit and broccoli.

We're nerds. We know.

Speaking of lent, we're bummed that we had our last fish fry of the year last week. This year, we tried a new church near Drake because we heard a woman cooked authentic cajun. We didn't exactly find that, but what we did find was amazing. We'll return. =] It's nice that we're also supporting the Drake community!

Use, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse... Recycle

I grabbed some Starbucks coffee for Breakfast Day at work and noticed this writing on my paper bag.

If you can't read it, basically it encourages its recipient to reuse it over and over again. Kudos, Starbucks! I will do just that! I carefully folded up my bag and took it home in hopes of using it again sometime soon.

That time has yet to come since last Friday. So I could use your help. Really, I just don't have that much to transport at this time. My hope is that each time I use the bag I take a picture and post it. I emphasize the word hope.

How would you use your Starbucks bag? What do you think I should use mine for?

Here is a picture from its first use.